Komisarek: Bring it on!

No Maple Leaf savoured his first few skating strides of the season Tuesday more than Mike Komisarek.

As Toronto players began informal workouts in Etobicoke, the 28-year-old was having as much fun as teenaged rookie Nazem Kadri and second-year Leaf Tyler Bozak, as he greeted teammates, trainers, rink workers and even the media as long-lost friends, raising his arms in an exaggerated celebration of each goal.

Of course, Komisarek couldn't even wave his right hand without pain a few months ago, recovering from February surgery on a torn labrum and other shoulder issues.

"You can only take so much time off before you start going crazy," Komisarek said.

"You love being on the ice, you love being in the locker room with your teammates."

Though he had begun skating near his Long Island home in recent weeks, Tuesday was the payoff for Komisarek, who went under the knife before the Olympics so he'd be ready in plenty of time for camp early in September.

'Get rehab done'

"Having the surgery in February, you're able to get back on the ice earlier and get your strength and rehab done," Komisarek said.

"I've met with team doctors and we're weeks ahead of schedule of where we thought we'd be in recovering. I'm ready for some contact. Even bumping people when you're in the gym has been good for me.

"It makes for a long off-season when you haven't played since February, so it's great to be back."

Step one was getting himself ready, step two is playing the pivotal leadership role he and general manager Brian Burke envisioned when he was signed as a free agent last summer.

Komisarek's season mirrored the club's fortunes, less than desired impact, a terrible start to the season that just about obliterated playoff hopes before U.S. Thanksgiving.

Komisarek, once discussed as a possible successor to Mats Sundin as team captain, was hurt and then Dion Phaneuf arrived and was eventually given the 'C' in the off-season.

"We can't change anything that happened last year," Komisarek sighed.

"It was a rough start and the last couple of years have been tough on this organization having not made the playoffs. What we can change is what we want to do about it. Staying on the ice together keeping in touch with each other.

"We finished on a positive note, taking steps forward with our young guys and bringing our team together. We feel good about ourselves."

Komisarek was joined Tuesday by the club's potential first and second-line centres Kadri and Bozak, as well as a mixed group of Leafs and Marlies such as Luke Schenn, John Mitchell, Jesse Blacker, Brayden Irwin and Alex Foster.

The club's glut of goalies - Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Jonas Gustavsson, James Reimer, Jussi Rynnas, Ben Scrivens and Andrew Engelage - have been mostly working with special instructor Francois Allaire both in Quebec and in Sweden, but none have joined the team workouts yet.

As long as Tomas Kaberle remains a Leaf and isn't traded for a top-six forward, Kadri has a better shot at staying in Toronto.

"I want to have a good month here and get ready for the rookie camp (a week before the main body)," the former first-round pick said.

"I'm a little rusty, having not been on the ice much since my last (OHL) playoff game, other than the (July Leafs rookie evaluation) camp.

'A great year'

"I think it's going to be a great year. Brian has made a lot of changes and we're anxious to get going and seeing what we have."

Bozak, who wound up the season as the first centre by default, wasted no time getting on the ice Tuesday right after a two-day drive from Denver, where he attended school and was working out with the likes of Colorado Avalanche top gun Paul Stastny.

"I was training a couple of times a week and getting back in the swing of things," Bozak said.

"I've put on some weight and (Leafs' strength coach) Anthony Belza helped me with a few of the things I needed to work on.

"Hopefully, this will be a big month for me heading into camp. I just feel a lot stronger and when I'm on the ice, a lot faster and quicker.

"The new guys coming in are great players. I haven't met them yet, but I think everyone is looking forward to getting things going.